Siliguri gears up for historic march, Mamata to lead mega anti-CAA rally

Kolkata/Siliguri: Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee reached Siliguri on Thursday to take part in a scheduled rally on January 3 demanding the withdrawal of National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

Banerjee took part in six rallies so far in Kolkata and Purulia urging people not to get scared as the state government is not going to implement NRC. She is the first national leader to raise her voice against the CAA and NRC. She has severely criticised the BJP for trying to divide the country using the two tools. It may be recalled that the state governments in Kerala, Delhi, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra have also decided not to implement NRC and CAA in their respective states.

As a mark of protest, the Foundation Day of the Trinamool Congress on January 1 was observed as 'Citizens' Day'. Programmes were held in 341 blocks and all the district towns in which all the MLAs and MPs took part.

Banerjee over and again urged party leaders to build contacts with the masses in order to remove the fear of losing citizenship. "Didi ke Bolo" has been very successful and the TMC has been able to regain lost ground in North Bengal.

Banerjee started her protest march on December 16, 2019, when she led a mammoth rally from the statue of BR Ambedkar to Jorasanko Thakurbari. This was followed by rallies from Jadavpur to Jadubabur Bazar, Howrah Maidan to Esplanade, Swami Vivekananda's ancestral house to the house where Mahatma Gandhi spent August 15, 1947, in Beliaghata and Rajabazar to Mullick Bazar. She also held a rally in Purulia.

The TMC chief sent her representatives to Mangaluru to pay Rs 5 lakh each to the next of kin of the two persons who had died in police firing while taking part in anti-CAA protest.

Political experts said as many people had come to India after Independence in 1947 and subsequently after the Bangladesh war in 1971 and settled in Siliguri and Jalpaiguri, Banerjee's presence in the area will help them to remove all fear and confusion. Her address to the people will help to rebuild their confidence. The local Hindus are scared as the names of 12 lakh Hindus have been dropped in Assam from the NRC.

Aroop Biswas, state PWD minister, who looks after North Bengal said Friday's rally will be a historic one as locals are eager to listen to the Trinamool Congress supremo.

"It will be a historic rally, the first of its kind in North Bengal. As the nation protests against the anti-people, anti-Constitutional CAA and NRC, Siliguri too will be joining in led by her," stated Biswas.

He added that there is a lot of enthusiasm amongst the people. "More than a lakh are expected to walk with the Chief Minister," he said.

After taking part in the protest march, she is likely to address a gathering.